So I recently acquired a Hyundai Kona 2020. As I started getting involved more and more with EV I also started using more apps to figure out what charging stations are available around me. While using ChargeHUB I saw some people actually make their own private charging stations publicly.... Some of them include a phone #, others an email. While in one case someone decided to be an entrepreneur and was actually chargin 1$/hr to provide people with some access to a private charging station. My Question is Why? Or maybe it should be Why Not? I did ponder a little about it myself I am the only EV on my 3-4 block radius so I could advertise....but I keep asking myself the same question is it worth my hassle to have people publicly know I have a charging Station...and collect money off them?
Well, if it's easily accessible, why not? I only use the granny cable at home so it doesn't make sense but why not. When I was out of town a few weekends ago I wish I had an opportunity to charge over night. I didn't, so I had to use a DC quickcharger while having breakfast (and pay a lot more). I heard about that app where you can share private chargers but for some weird reason is only usable in a couple/few states. Sent from my moto x4 using Tapatalk
If my EVSE was colocated with a public street, no problem. But my one lane driveway would block someone. Also, we don't have a public bathroom. Bob Wilson
I can't imagine a scenario where I'd want strangers to park in my driveway to charge their cars, even for a little bit of money. I don't even want friends to take over my parking space if that means one of my family members has to park in the street. It's not that it is not a nice gesture to be able to do so but it is too much of a hassle to really become a thing.
Agreed it is really strange that one would "advertise" that they ok with that. I am just shocked by the amount of people that provide their Location including phone numbers in case someone needs it. Anything that's grey it's a personal charging station. And they everywhere, seems 1$/hr is the going rate Montreal to Vancouver. Personally for me if I were to do it it would be with 1person only. A "monthly fee and preset schedule"
By doing so here would put me into tier 2 rates, almost $0.15 / kWh. If the on board charger of the plugged in vehicle allowed 7.5 kW rate it would cost me $1.13 / hour. Now if I can charge parking, that would be another story. https://app.bchydro.com/accounts-billing/rates-energy-use/electricity-rates/residential-rates.html
Some have already mentioned the point of not wanting to having strangers park on driveway and the fact that there is no public bathroom. Here are some additional reasons which would cause me to balk at this idea. Privacy concerns, I am giving away personal information Why do you want strangers getting your phone number and email address? People can disturb you at all sorts of hours, are you prepared for it? What if someone lands up in your house at 11 PM and says "I am stuck and really need your charge?" Will you throw them out? You are running a small business at your home. What are the licensing requirements in your state? It does not matter if you just make $1 a day, you are advertising the business, you are having customers actually come to your business area. If you have to pay a license fee and be subject to regulation, is it worth it? Is your area zoned commercial? What will your neighbors and your HOA (home owners association) think about running a business at your home, if you have a HOA? I do not want strangers on my property and I do not want them on my neighbors property. I would object. What about liability issues? What if someone comes to your property, trips and falls on the charging cable and decides to sue you as "you did not take proper precautions". Remember it is considered commercial and your home owners insurance may not cover it. You may need commercial insurance. How do you know that the nice lady or gentleman is actually not casing your house to rob it. They may ask you "Can I come in half hour" and you tell them "I am not at home now". When you come back home, your house is burglarized, as they know you are not at home. Where are people going to wait for 1 hour? Do you have place where they can sit down outside when it is very hot or cold? Or are expected to stand or sit in the car? Hypothetical? Yes. Probable? Yes. Would I risk it? No. If I wanted to do it, I would do it as a commercial venture in a commercial area. Remember we are in a litigious society. Again Canada may be a little different, but in the US, I would be very careful. I do not think the pay off is worth it.
All good points, If one lives near a sports complex, it could be a lucrative venture. But as you point out lots of negatives.
Another factor that crossed my mind is the utility rates. First power charges vary if they are commercial and residential. The utility may not like you buying power from them and reselling to others, if you are paying residential rates. Second rates can vary by time of day. My local utility rewards charging at home at night. If you have one of those plans, you may be paying more for electricity as rates will be higher during the times when the customers want the service. You may want to consider that in addition, that your costs are higher and hence expected profit lower. You need to look at total costs before making a decision.
I made my charging station available to the public on plug share 5 years ago. I live in the country on 2 1/2 acres so parking is not an issue. I have three 14/50 plugs (garage, work shop and rv parking) I have 6 kw of solar so it isn't going to cost me anything. I also have 32 amp level 2 charger. That said in the 5 years on plug share I have received one call from a Leaf owner but he decided he didn't have enough range left to to get up the hill to my house. But its there if your stuck. Last year they put a level 2 public station in town and a new Level 3 is going in next year. So I am not expecting anyone. But if your in the area come on by. You can't be all bad if your driving a BEV. The property is gated and fenced so you do need to call first.
You have actually reinforced a lot of the points that I said. You have a situation where all the negatives I pointed out do not apply to you due to your special circumstances and hence you an ideal situation for selling your charging services, except one that I will point out at later. You have solar, so no utility to deal with, in the country, so no HOA or possible licensing restrictions or angry neighbors. Further, you have no electricity costs, so you could have priced it wherever you want and still made a profit. You also have space, so parking is not the issue. Everything you have is perfect for what you want to do except the most important one: Location, location, location. You are far away from potential users. That said in your case, you have lost nothing (no additional expenses such as licensing or insurance) but gained nothing either, as you have had no customers. So you are still even, if you ignore any privacy concerns. And I do not think making money was your objective to begin with, so it really does not matter. So if you are in the position of @Fastnf you could consider it, but I still would not.
For my situation, it would be inconvenient to share my EVSE. My EVSE is in my garage and my house has a driveway gate. So, when I'm not home, nobody can get to the EVSE. When I'm home i charge at night myself and between getting home from work and the time I start charging, my electric rate is over 3 times my nightly charging rate. I'm not going to let someone charge for free at over 17 cents per kwh.. i would not mind at night @4.7 cents.. Furthermore, there is nothing of interest in walking distance of my house, so anybody charging would be bored to death.. There are also several FREE EVSE's within 10 minutes of my house. Hyundai dealer, Nissan dealer, Mitsubishi dealer, BMW dealer and free EVSE's near downtown. At least at the downtown EVSE's there is plenty to do and see while charging.. Not so much at my house..
